Collaborative or Competitive?

What if you threw a party and nobody came?

Been there, done that. Then I learned one important principle.

I'll tell you about one epic failure as an example. Many years ago, when I was first working as the Trade Show Manager for Kerry Ingredients, we staged a piggy-back "party" event in Chicago to accompany an exhibit at a Snack Food Industry show.

We planned and executed all the logistics to perfection. We reserved the Bin 36 restaurant on the near North Side, and planned to have a paired wine and food tasting event where our products (Seasonings, in this case) would be incorporated into the hors d'oeuvres to be served. We had our sales team identify their top prospects, scrubbed the show attendee list and came up with a highly qualified list of 150 targets and 25 media people (trade publication writers and editors). We expected a crowd of 60-80 to show up for the free upscale paired wine and tapas-like dinner event. Our total attendance --- 6 people, all editors.


Our own people outnumbered them by about 4 to 1.


As we scratched our heads, and reviewed our failure, it was tough to figure out where we went wrong. But, boy, did we go wrong. We didn't just have a meager attendance, we created a ghost town. no prospects whatsoever.


So, being the troopers we had to be, we went on with the show. As it progressed, we took notice of how our Sales team was interacting with their prospects and clients. They were very careful not to broadcast too many of their most innovative ideas, preferring instead to share these in a more intimate, one-on-one setting.


That's when it became clear. Our customer base was highly competitive with each other. They did not typically share ideas among themselves. They were definitely not collaborative.


This was why our party idea fell so flat. Our prospects really didn't want to hang around with each other, or look across the room to see their #1 competitor having a good time with our company reps. They preferred to think that we were giving our very best service and innovation just to them -- which would create an edge for them over their competitors.


So here's something to consider when planning "piggy-back" events -- are your prospects collaborative or competitive? 


Here's some collaborative examples:

• Health care -- health care providers tend to be extremely collaborative, sharing their knowledge to promote their standing inside their communities. There is tremendous status created when new treatment procedures are "published" and acknowledged by their peers. My party would have worked great if we'd invited a bunch of doctors.
• Public safety, law enforcement -- very collaborative for many of the same reasons.
• Geographically limited businesses, territorial networks, government entities -- also are very collaborative because of the limited reach of their services and offerings.
• Short-lived business entities -- like those found supporting the entertainment industry, are also collaborative. These companies come and go as projects emerge and then die quickly - forcing people to shift allegiances rapidly, and develop extensive networks.
• Lone Rangers -- a single person filling a unique job function within a much larger company. This is exactly what we see at the EXHIBITOR Show each year.

On the competitive side:

• Mature industries -- like food manufacturing, where building business is all about stealing market share from each other.
• Emerging technologies - where companies are very protective of their intellectual property, and fearful of being "copied" right out of business.
• Any industry where "keeping a few secrets" is important to the success of a given company.

So, if your prospects are mainly competitive, focus on the one-on-one activities. If you've got a collaborative bunch, then party on, dude!! And let's hope your party is better attended than mine was.

If you've got other examples of competitive/collaborative relationships, please list them in the comments below.

TSB

1-888-9-ASK-TSB

Bob's Best Bites

Whenever I'm in Anaheim for a show, I always try to make it out to Huntington Beach for a meal at Duke's. It's located right on the ocean at the Huntington Beach Pier, and features fresh seafood prepared and served Hawaiian style. Besides the unbelievable setting (which is hard to beat), what makes Duke's unique is how they offer their menu choices. You pair up a choice of seafood with a preparation method -- such as mahi mahi served parmesan and herb crusted, or firecracker, or baked "Duke style" in lemon garlic and basil. Each dish is prepared beautifully and tastes magnificent. Each species offered is only offered according to its season and sustainability, and their island ambiance and service is top notch. Then some "Hula Pie", followed by a stroll along the pier. It's the perfect way to breathe in the fresh sea air and do some interesting people watching.

When you're in Anaheim, where do you like to go?

TSB

1-888-9-ASK-TSB